close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama joins elite company through 82 NBA games
news

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama joins elite company through 82 NBA games

Victor Wembanyama delivered a 34-point, 14-rebound, 6-assist performance on Monday that pushed his career numbers to impressive totals.

Get NBA League Pass TODAY >

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had another monstrous performance that put him in the record books among impressive company.

Wembanyama had 34 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 116-96 on Monday night.

It was Wembanyama’s 82nd career game, giving the 2.3 meter tall No. 1 pick from France a full season of games played in 2023.

And with his outstanding performance, Wembanyama joined Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks as the only players in league history with 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games.

Veteran point guard Chris Paul believes the league has yet to see the best of Wembanyama.

“I wish you could see the work that goes into day in and day out,” Spurs veteran point guard Chris Paul said. “You know how talented he is, but his will to get better. His will to want to work on things. The more games we play, I think we will get to know each other better.”

Wembanyama was named Kia Rookie of the Year and finished second to compatriot Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year last season. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and led the league with 3.6 blocks in 71 games.

Aside from a 4.0 block average, his numbers have dipped slightly this season, but he’s feeling better after a long summer in which he helped France win silver at the Paris Olympics.

Wembanyama had 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks in a 111-110 loss to Utah on Saturday. He set a career-high for 3-pointers by shooting 6 for 9 against the Jazz.

It was Wembanyama’s third career game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five three-pointers. It’s the most in league history, surpassing two such games by Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis.

Wembanyama was 6 for 12 on 3-pointers against the Kings to match his career-high.

After a slow start that saw his three-point shooting dip to 25%, Wembanyama is 14 for 27 on 3-pointers in his last three games.

“I just take better threes,” Wembanyama said. ‘Yes, of course it feels better. I’m 20, I hope I will continue to feel better and better in the coming years. There’s no reason why it should feel worse.”